The 2011 AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge

Each year at Mopar Muscle magazine we host a contest for engine builders across the country to highlight their skills by competing in the annual AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge. The challenge begins at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, where the rules are outlined and applications are handed out. Engine shops then have two months to apply to be in the contest, and we choose eight competitors to build engines, which are then delivered to the Mopar Nationals, and tested on the engine dyno at Comp Cams the following month.

2/13Comp Cams hosts our annual contest, providing their research facility and dyno cell for a full week to test the engines. Last year's challenge drew quite a crowd as small-block Mopars tried to make the best power per cubic inch.

In previous years we've featured most popular Mopar engine combinations, including Hemis, big-blocks, and small-blocks, and we try to keep the contest interesting by changing the rules slightly each year. This year the challenge features the big-block Mopar engine, and to ensure these are real-world engines like our readers would build, we've limited the budget for each engine to $5,500. On the dyno at Comp, the engines will be run on Rockett Brand 93 octane fuel, and judged by their peak horsepower divided into the cubic inch displacement of the engine for a horsepower per cubic inch factor. By limiting the budget, the engine builders in this year's contest will be forced to spend carefully, putting money where it counts to make power, while not sacrificing durability.

There's a good chance one of these engine builders has put together an engine that would be perfect for your Mopar, so be sure to follow along as we dyno these engines and then tear them down to see what parts were used to make power. In previous contests engine builders have impressed us with stout numbers, using moderately and economically priced parts to achieve their goals. Any of the engine builders in our contest would be happy to discuss, build, and even dyno your next Mopar engine, and can ship your engine to you no matter where you live in the U.S. or abroad, so be sure to give one of them a call about your next project.

3/13It's a blast to experience Mopar V-8 engines making power on an engine dyno, and to see what tuning techniques are used to optimize power. Last year Schurbon Engine and Machine actually performed a camshaft change during the timed dyno session, losing power but still winning the contest. Unfortunately, a last minute issue kept Schurbon from making this year's deadline.

Seven of this year's eight competitors made our Friday deadline, delivering their engines to the Mopar Nationals where they were on display for the weekend. We're sure some of you recognized several of the competitors in this year's contest, and we have some newcomers to the 2011 Engine Challenge as well. At the Mopar Nationals, engine builders were on hand to discuss their combinations and speak to our readers regarding their Mopar engines. This month we'll give you a quick rundown of the competitors and their combinations, and be sure to follow future issues of Mopar Muscle to find out who wins and how much power these engines make.

4/13This should be an interesting year for the AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge, with a wide array of parts and techniques used throughout these engines. Next month we'll bring you the details as we dyno the engines at Comp, so be sure to pick up an issue and see who won. For videos of these engines running on the dyno, visit www.moparmusclemagazine.com.